Sr. Content Developer at Microsoft, working remotely in PA, TechBash conference organizer, former Microsoft MVP, Husband, Dad and Geek.
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Microsoft brings Ask Copilot and Agents to the Windows 11 taskbar for business users

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Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7523 (KB5072043) to the Dev and Beta Channels, bringing with it a number of important changes and additions. As is the case with so many updates to Windows 11 at the moment, this is heavy on the AI. The difference this time is that Microsoft is starting to focus more on business users – starting by introducing Ask Copilot on the taskbar with Microsoft 365 Copilot. The taskbar is also now adorned with Agents, but not everything is related to artificial intelligence. Getting the Copilot news out first, Microsoft says: “In October,… [Continue Reading]
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alvinashcraft
49 minutes ago
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Pennsylvania, USA
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The Joyful Chaos of the Early Web: A Conversation with Creator Audrey Witters

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Audrey Witters remembers the creativity of the early web.

Audrey Witters

When she was launching her career in the mid-1990s, being online was more about exploring and having fun than figuring out how to make a return on investment. Witters said if you were curious about someone’s web page,  you could simply click to see their code or email them with questions. She enjoyed how accessible the early web community was and the feeling of connection.

Now a business consultant in San Jose, she spoke at the Internet Archive’s Oct. 22 celebration, praising its efforts to save digital content and encouraging innovation through experimentation.

Watch Witters’ remarks:

“Thank you to the Internet Archive for preserving the history of the early web, that time of collective effort and quirky, chaotic creation, so that we can have really fun moments of nostalgia,” Witters said from the stage, “but even more so that the next generation of creators can be inspired to find their own ways to promote exploration, collaboration and joyful expression.”

Witters shared the story of her career and the influence the internet has had on her work before there was much pressure to monetize content. 

Witters’ famous animated GIF

After graduating with a degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University, Witters built her early career in the tech sector. Witters garnered attention for helping design a small, animated alien GIF at a graphic art software company. Her work was featured in a 1996 book, GIF Animation Studio, by Richard Koman.

In those early days, it was exciting to come into work each morning to see if any new web servers had launched, Witters said. She was on the lookout for new and interesting approaches to digital layout, movement, or  interactivity. She followed a graduate student posting pictures of his daily vegetarian lunch – a forerunner of the food bloggers – and witnessed the beginning of e-commerce. Content was diverse and the web reflected a diversity of voices.

Witters leveraged what she learned to develop an expertise in project management, and said she’d like to see more of that early online creativity carried over to confront today’s challenges.

“Business relies on innovation. Innovation is based on creativity, and creativity comes from fun,” she said. “We don’t have a lot of time for fun these days.”

Prioritizing profit without including time for play is not good for individuals, society or businesses in the long run, Witters maintains. As systems evolve, creativity is needed to meet changing demands and unleash new ideas.

For 20 years, Witters worked at Stanford University in the Graduate School of Business, including a decade as the inaugural managing director of online executive programs. Following that role she founded her own company, Learning Impact Advisors, helping higher education clients develop career programs that amplify their mission.

Witters recalls with fondness the “Wild West” days of the early web: “It’s important to preserve that spirit and be inspired by it.”

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alvinashcraft
50 minutes ago
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Pennsylvania, USA
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Glenn Condron: Aspire Strategy for .NET - Episode 381

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Glenn is a Principal Product Manager for the App Platform team within the Developer Division at Microsoft, focusing on .NET. Before joining Microsoft Glenn was a developer in Australia where he worked on software for various government departments.

 

Mentioned in this Episode

X Account

Episode 293

Episode 58 

Github

Microsoft Devblog 

Building Cloud Native apps with .NET 8

Simplifying Cloud-Native Development with .NET 8

Want to Learn More?

Visit AzureDevOps.Show for show notes and additional episodes.





Download audio: https://traffic.libsyn.com/clean/secure/azuredevops/Episode_381.mp3?dest-id=768873
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alvinashcraft
51 minutes ago
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494: TV Evolution- CRTs, Aspect Ratios, and Beyond

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Dive into the fascinating world of CRT technology in this episode of How CRTs Work! Discover how these iconic monitors influenced video playback and gaming, from interlaced scanning to the art of synchronization. Learn about the unique challenges of emulating CRT effects today and the lasting legacy of these early technologies. Perfect for retro tech enthusiasts and curious minds alike!

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Machine transcription available on http://mergeconflict.fm

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Download audio: https://aphid.fireside.fm/d/1437767933/02d84890-e58d-43eb-ab4c-26bcc8524289/3d85b790-72de-41de-8b5c-9e9f564a0e66.mp3
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alvinashcraft
51 minutes ago
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How to Create Interactive and Animated WordPress Websites in 2026 And Why It Matters

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The new standard for WordPress design is interactive, animated, and intentional.



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Security Lingo Explained: BCP

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The security space can be a strange and confusing place for newcomers. In this series of posts, we aim to shed light on the security lingo you may encounter when reading the latest security specifications and scanning your favorite Duende documentation. By the end of this post, you’ll have added one more security phrase to your growing lexicon of security jargon with which to impress your fellow security professionals.

Today’s security lingo is BCP, so let’s discuss what the acronym stands for and where you can see and hear it used.

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alvinashcraft
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